Summer of Excitement
by Zexo87
Summary: Lincoln, Clyde, Ronnie Anne and their friends are seventeen and spending their first summer away from home at Camp Gottapee. What kind of new adventures will they have? What new relationships will blossom? After all, in a summer camp full of sixteen teenagers, what could possibly happen that would be worth reading about? (Cover by cartoonist99)
1. Chapter 1

It was our first day of summer vacation and that meant our first day at summer camp. Clyde and I had never spent a whole summer away from home before, but now that we we're seventeen, we decided it was time we gave it a shot. We were lucky to be joined by Ronnie Anne and a bunch of our other friends from Royal Woods. As we road on the bus to camp, we couldn't help but feel excited.

"Can you believe it, Clyde?" I asked. "Our first summer away from home!"

"I know. I had to practically beg my dads to let me spend the whole summer at camp," he said. "I'm both excited and kinda terrified. But mostly excited."

"What are you so terrified of?"

"Oh you know. Living out in the woods, getting stung by hornets, drowning in a river, getting mauled by a bear, contracting a deadly disease, catching hypothermia, getting bitten by a venomous snake, getting food poisoning from eating food made by an unwashed prison inmate…!"

"Clyde! You're spiraling!" I said, grabbing him by the shoulders. "Just calm down and breathe. Okay?"

After he had calmed himself down, I put my arm around his shoulder. "None of that's gonna happen, man. You know why? Because I'm gonna right by your side the whole time and we've got all summer to go on adventures and make new friends."

"What are you talking about? We already know everybody here."

"Yeah, but maybe there'll be another camp nearby where we can meet new people. And who knows? If we play our cards right, maybe this'll be the summer we finally get girlfriends."

"Tch! Don't hold your breath, lame-o," said Ronnie Anne, who was sitting across from us.

"Oh, like you're one to talk," I retorted. "When was the last time you kissed a guy?"

"At least I could get a date if I really wanted."

"Yeah, well, I still think we have a pretty good shot. Just you wait, Clyde. This is gonna be our greatest summer ever."

When the bus arrived at the camp, there was a gate with a sign up above that read Camp Gottapee. Clyde, Ronnie Anne and I all looked at each other, wondering if that was some kind of Native American word. If it was, it was still hilarious. The bus stopped in the center of a dirt clearing. When we all climbed off, we were greeted by two camp counselors. One was a tall man with dark skin and a big sparkly smile. The other was a chubby light-skinned woman with her hair in a ponytail. Both of them were holding clipboards and waiting for us all to file out.

"Welcome to Camp Gottapee, everybody!" the man greeted us. "My name's Jackson, but everybody calls me Action." He paused to chuckle at a joke that nobody seemed to be laughing at. "And this is Erica," he said pointing to the lady next to him. "We'll be your camp counselors for the rest of the summer. If you guys have any problems or you ever need anything, just come find one of us."

"First thing we're gonna do is show you guys to your cabins," said Erica. "You'll have five minutes to put away your stuff and meet back at the campfire pit. Girls follow me to the right cabin, boys follow Action to the left."

Clyde and I went to follow Action and the rest of the guys to the boys' cabin. Just then, though, I heard something drop behind me. I turned to look and on the ground was an Ace Savvy PEZ dispenser. I picked it up and tried to find out who had dropped it, but as I looked around at everybody, I realized I had no idea who it could be. I knew just about everybody here and as far as I knew, Clyde and I were the only ones here who were into Ace Savvy. I knew for a fact it wasn't Clyde's because if it was, he would've written 'Property of Clyde McBride' on it. I decided to hold onto it until I could find out whose it was. I ran to catch up to the rest of the group.

The cabin was pretty much what I was expecting. Rustic with rows of mattresses on metal-framed beds and little wooden nightstands in between. There was a bathroom on the far end and rows of three windows lined up perfectly on each side. Aside from me and Clyde, there was also Liam, Zach, Rusty, Lance, Trent and Chandler. We each picked a bed to sleep in and left our bags on top of them. Then we met the girls back at the fire pit.

Clyde, Ronnie Anne and I sat in the back row while the counselors listed off the rules. I tried to pay attention, but then I noticed that the girl sitting next to me was wearing an Ace Savvy t-shirt. She was pretty cute, too, with her brown hair tied back with a red scrunchy, freckles covering her cheeks and sparkling pearl earrings. There was something familiar about this girl. I could've sworn I'd seen her before, but I couldn't remember her name. I decided to introduce myself.

"Excuse me," I said. She turned to look at me. "I just wanted to say I like your shirt."

"Oh, thank you," she said with a little smile. "Yeah, I really love Ace Savvy. I know that's kinda dorky."

"I don't think it's dorky at all. In fact, I think I found something that belongs to you." I showed her the PEZ dispenser and her face lit up.

"Oh my god! Thank you! I got so worried when I couldn't find it. I thought I'd left it on the bus or something. I'm so glad you found it."

"No problem. One should never be separated from their beloved PEZ dispenser."

She laughed. I'd managed to make her laugh! That was a good sign. "I'm Lincoln," I said.

"I'm Renee."

And that's when it hit me. I knew I'd seen her before. "I think we've actually met before. I think it was when we were eleven. We were in the comic book store at the mall and we started talking about Ace. And then I found a copy of that limited edition Christmas issue, we fought over it and you socked me in the face."

She gasped. "Oh yeah! I do remember that! Wow, I don't know what got into me," she said with a chuckle.

"It's okay. I don't blame you. I probably would've done the same thing. If you were a boy, I mean." We both laughed at that one. I was two for two right now. This was going so great!

Then the counselors called out for us to follow them, so we got up and let them lead us around the camp. Renee started to walk ahead of me, but then she turned around and smiled back at me again. I was so happy, I felt like I could explode. Was this really happing? Did she like me? I had to catch up to her. "Hey wait!" I called as I ran up next to her. "Would you, maybe… wanna hang out together sometime?"

"Sure. I'd love to." My heart totally did a backflip at that moment. She pulled a little notebook out of her pocket, wrote something down in it, ripped out the page and gave it to me. "Here's my number. Text me, okay?" If I wasn't smiling like an idiot before, I was definitely doing it now.

Action and Erica lead us on a tour of the camp. They showed us the outdoor bathrooms, the mess hall, the main office, the infirmary, the showers (one for boys and one for girls). The camp even had a watchtower, which was pretty cool. They took us down by the lake where there was a dock and a stack of canoes with oars.

"So Lincoln, who was that girl you were talking to?" Clyde asked.

"Her name's Renee," I said. "I found her PEZ dispenser and gave it back to her. She loves Ace Savvy and… I think she likes me."

"Hey hey, way to go, stud!" He wrapped his arm around me and gave me a light punch on the shoulder. "First day of camp and you're already getting lucky."


	2. Chapter 2

I had texted Renee and asked her to meet me back at the fire pit. I got there first and waited for her. When I saw her coming, she had changed shirts. Instead of her Ace Savvy shirt, she was wearing a bright red tank top that, quite frankly, did a great job showing off her boobs. My god, those boobs! They were like the size of bowling balls with little freckles on them and they bounced with each step she took. I had to take my eyes away and look her in the face. I had a real shot with a smoking hot girl who loves Ace as much as I do and I didn't wanna blow it just because I happened to notice that she has big boobs.

Then again, if she didn't want me to notice, would she have changed shirts like that? Maybe she did it as an excuse to flirt with me. Nah, it must just be because she was hot. Right? Either way, I had to play it safe and look her in the eyes.

"Hey, Lincoln," she said as she waved and smiled at me.

"Hi, Renee. I'm so glad you decided to come."

"Me too."

"So what do you wanna do? I mean, we could just sit here and talk. Unless you had something else in mind?"

"Actually, that's kinda boring. I was thinking we could play a little game."

"A game? What kind of game?"

"Think of it as a game of tag, except with a twist." She bent over and looked at me playfully. I snuck a quick glance down her shirt and looked back at her face. "I'm gonna run and if you can catch me, I'll answer one question for you. Anything you wanna know."

"Anything?"

"Anything! What do you say?"

The idea did sound like fun. I'm not a very fast runner, but I thought _'Hey, maybe all I need is the right motivation. And she is some pretty great motivation.' _So I decided to go for it.

"Okay. I'm in," I said.

"Great. Now on the count of three… ONETWOTHREEGO!" And just like that, she was off like a rocket.

"What?! Hey, no fair!" I called out as I raced after her.

I kept a sharp eye on Renee as I started to think about what question I would ask her if I managed to catch her. I was expecting to get to know her through conversation, but if I only got one question, I had to make it count. Maybe I could ask her if she had a big family like me. That would be a pretty good thing to have in common. Or I could ask her what her favorite song is. That's the kind of thing a boyfriend should know, right? Should I even be thinking like that yet?

I could ask her why she wanted to play this game in the first place. Or would that be wasting my question? I could ask if she'd had any boyfriends before. Someone as attractive as her must've at least gotten offers from time to time. So what could've made her say yes to me? Was it my charm? My wit? My smoothness? My raw sex appeal? Or just the fact that we both happened to love the same comic series?

As I lost myself in my train of thought, I realized that I had lost sight of Renee. I took a moment to catch my breath as I looked around for her. Then I heard a loud whistle and saw her waving to me from behind one of the buildings. "Over here, slowpoke!" she taunted. "Come on! You're not getting winded already, are you?"

"In your dreams!" I shot back. I took off after her again and she ran into the forest. I really had to step up my game now. If she thought I was gonna let her get away that easily, she had another thing coming.

Renee tried to shake me by swerving through the trees, but I stayed hot on her tail. There was no way I was gonna let a sexy babe like her slip through my fingers. She was slowing down. I was finally starting to catch up to her. All I had to do was reach out and- "AAHH!"

She jumped just out of my reach and made me fall face first into a ditch. I laid there for a minute as I waited for the pain to subside. I heard Renee call to me and ask if I was okay. I was banged up, but otherwise, I didn't feel too bad. I looked up and saw that she had landed safely on the other side. Well played, Renee.

I got up and started to chase after her again, but then suddenly, my foot landed in a hole. I tried to pull it out, but it was stuck tight. I called out for help and Renee came running back.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"My foot is stuck in this hole. I can't get it out."

"Okay, hang on. Give me your hand and I'll pull you out." I did what she told me and grabbed her arm with both hands. "On a count of three. One, two, three!" I held on tight as she pulled on my arm with all her might. I pulled on my own leg as hard as I could until finally, my foot popped out of the hole. The force knocked both of us over and we fell into the dust.

My hand landed on some kind of rock. It was really soft, and squishy. Wait a minute. Rocks aren't squishy. I turned my head around to see what it really was. I swear, my face was so hot that I could actually feel steam coming out of my nose and ears.

Not a rock… A BOOB!

I wiggled away as fast as I could. _'WHAT THE HELL DID YOU JUST DO, YOU CLUMSY IDIOT?! NOW SHE THINKS YOUR A TOTAL PERVERT! BRAVO GENIUS, BRAVO!'_

Renee didn't scream or yell or anything. She just kinda sat there curled up, staring at me. Her face was pretty red, but it didn't look nearly as hot as mine felt.

"I'm sorry! I am SO sorry! I did NOT mean to do that! I swear, I thought it was a rock! I just… oh man!" I hid my face in my hands. I thought for sure it was all over for me.

"Well… I guess this means you caught me," she said with an awkward chuckle.

I lifted my head up. That wasn't what I was expecting to hear. Why wasn't she yelling me? For God's sake, I just GROPED her! She stood up and gave me her hand.

"Come on. It was just an accident. Don't beat yourself up about it. How's your foot feeling?"

I stood up, testing my weight on my right foot. "Uh, it feels fine to me."

"Good. I'm glad you're okay. I'm sorry I got you stuck in that hole." she said with an apologetic smile. "So, now that you've caught me… what's your question?"

I'd been thinking long and hard about what to ask her. There were so many things I wanted to know. But then I realized the one thing I wanted to know more than anything. So that's what I decided to ask.

"Do you like me?"

"Huh?"

"Do you really like me, or have you just been toying with me this whole time?" I can see she's kind of confused. "Because I really like you and I need to know if this is real or not."

She doesn't say anything at first. Just watches me like she's trying to process what I just said. Then she smiles and, to my surprise, reaches up and kisses me on my cheek.

I just stood there, wide-eyed and stunned. The feeling of her lips on my face was so warm and pleasant that I never wanted it to stop. Plus, I could smell her shampoo in her hair and it was absolutely blissful. Then the kiss ended and she looked at me again.

"Of course I like you, Lincoln. You're sweet, funny, clever and you're so much fun to hang out with. You're also really cute."

She winked at me and my face turned red again. No girl had ever called me cute before.

"I wanted to play this game with you because I thought it would be a fun way to see how far you were actually willing to go for me. I knew that if I only gave you one question and then made you work for it just to get it answered, you'd do one of two things. You'd either decide it wasn't worth it and give up, or you'd go all the way until you actually caught me. I'm not interested in wasting my time with some guy who's just gonna lead me on until he gets what he wants, but the fact that you didn't quit means that you really care about me and wanna get to know me."

"I do! I do want to get to know you! I wanna know everything about you so I can make you happy." And I meant it. I was impressed that she came up with something like that. She really is a clever, fascinating girl. Almost as clever as me. Almost!

Then she wrapped her arms around me and kissed me again. This time on the lips.


	3. Chapter 3

**Renee POV**

The showers here at camp didn't have the strongest water pressure, but there was still enough to get the job done. After I stepped out of the stall, I wrapped a towel around my hair and then another around my body and slipped my feet into my crocs. Luckily, the showers were right next to the cabin, so we didn't have to walk that far out in the open. Which meant there was less risk of catching a draft and of being spotted by horny onlookers.

I made it back to the cabin and got dressed. It had been about two weeks since camp had started and I was already having the time of my life. Camp Gottapee was so much fun. The counselors were awesome and we pretty much had free range to do whatever we wanted. There was always something to do around here. Games to play, our very own lake to swim in, weekly bus rides into town, and movies in the mess hall every Friday night. Even the organized activities were really cool, like the big canoe trip later today, which I was really looking forward to, especially since I was going to partner up with my new boyfriend Lincoln.

Maybe I was moving a little fast by calling him my boyfriend already. I mean, we'd only been seeing each other for two weeks, but I really liked hanging out with him and being around him. And I know he really likes me back. I've never really dated anybody before so I'm not sure what the exact protocol is, but I'm sure two weeks is enough time to start calling ourselves an item, right?

As I came out of the cabin, that's when I saw Lincoln talking to somebody. This girl named Ronnie Anne. I didn't know much about her myself, but she and Lincoln obviously knew each other personally. It wasn't that I was jealous or anything, but it seemed a little weird to me that he didn't talk about her much when they were clearly good friends. After all, he talked about Clyde all the time. I decided to go join them.

"Morning Lincoln," I greeted as I approached them.

"Oh, hi Renee." The two of us embraced each other in a big warm hug.

"I'll give you two some privacy," Ronnie Anne remarked with a raised eyebrow. "Smell you at the docks, lame-o."

"Not if I smell you first, weirdo," Lincoln replied. Ronnie Anne punched Lincoln in the arm and walked off.

"So Lincoln," I said. "Are you gonna be my partner for the canoe trip today?"

"Oh, uh, actually, I meant to tell you about that. I kinda promised Ronnie Anne that I'd partner up with her."

"Oh… I see."

"Are you mad at me?"

"No no, I'm not mad. I'm just… a little disappointed is all. Also, I wish you had told me sooner."

"I know. I'm sorry. It's just that Ronnie Anne and I live so far apart and we don't get to see each other in person that often, so we figured this trip would be a good chance to catch up."

"Right. Totally. I completely understand." At that moment, I figured this would be a good time to get some clarity.

"So… what exactly is the deal with you and Ronnie Anne?" I asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you two are obviously really close, but you don't seem to talk about her much, so I was just wondering..."

"Oh! Okay, now I see where you're going with this. Trust me, it is NOT like that at all. Ronnie Anne and I have been friends since the fifth grade, but I don't like her that way. At least not… not anymore."

"What do you mean 'anymore'?"

"Well you see, when Ronnie Anne and I first met, she was a real jerk. She picked on me like everyday. The first time I saw her, she shoved a sandwich down my pants."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Finally I decided I'd had enough, so one day, I told her to meet me outside my house at 3:30 so we could settle it once and for all. I wasn't gonna fight her or anything. I was just gonna give her a strongly worded letter. My sisters found out about it and they told me that she was only picking on me because she had a crush on me and that I should kiss her. At first, I thought they were crazy, but then I figured they probably knew more about it than I did, so I took their advice. When Ronnie Anne showed up at my house, I gave her a kiss… and she gave me a black eye."

"Ooh. Ouch."

"Yeah. Really should've seen that coming."

"Was she your first kiss?"

"Yeah she was. But don't worry. You're a WAY better kisser than her."

I could tell he expect me to laugh at that. It wasn't really the smoothest thing he could've said, but I let it slide so he could continue.

"But then the weirdest thing happened. She threw a note up to my bedroom with her number on it, asking me to text her."

"So she did like you. Did you like her back?"

"Not at first. I think I just liked the idea of any girl having a crush on me. Even if she wasn't exactly what I had in mind. But then we started to hang out more and I realized that she was actually really cool. We became really good friends, but despite the fact that there was a lot of pressure on us to be more than that, any romantic feelings we may have had for each other are long gone. I promise you that."

"You're sure?"

"Absolutely. Look, I know you're disappointed right now, but how about I make it up to you when we get back from the trip? A picnic in the clearing by the river, just the two of us. What do you say?"

"Sounds good. And don't worry about me. I'll just partner up with one of the other girls."

"Great. You are the raddest. You know that?" He pulled me in for a big smooch on the cheek. He's so adorable when he gets like that, I just love it.

"Okay, now let's go get some breakfast. My stomach's as hollow as a coconut."

"As you wish, m'lady."

If Lincoln said that he and Ronnie Anne were just friends, then I had to trust him. That's what a good girlfriend is supposed to do. And a good girlfriend doesn't get jealous when her boyfriend wants to spend time with his other friends.

* * *

**Clyde POV**

The boys' cabin was quiet. I sat alone on my bed trying to figure out what to do. I was so excited for the canoe trip today. Or I would've been if I'd had a partner. Lincoln was gonna be paddling with Ronnie Anne, which meant that I was left all alone and I was pretty certain that everybody else already had a partner too. Then again, if there were an even number of us here, then logically, there should be at least one person left without a partner. I just had to figure out who it was and I'd be in business.

As I stepped out of the cabin to try and find my last minute partner, I suddenly spotted Haiku sitting on the steps and writing in some sort of journal.

"Haiku? What are you doing here?" I asked her.

"I came here looking for inspiration. I find the shade to be a perfect muse."

"Oh. Did it work?"

"Extraordinarily. Would you care to hear what I've written?"

"Sure." I took a seat next to her and she began to read.

_"As the summer sun burns,_

_Hormones run wild._

_Even feelings of longing_

_Are no reason to smile._

_For when teenage souls are impassioned _

_And primal desires awoken,_

_Hearts and trusts alike_

_Will always end up broken."_

"Wow. That was some pretty deep stuff," I said.

"Thank you. I was inspired after I overheard a conversation between three people earlier."

"What kind of conversation?"

"I'd rather not say. All I can say is that it didn't bode well."

I wanted to tell her that she shouldn't have eavesdropped, but I figured it wouldn't do much good now. Besides, it was a really good poem and she was clearly a very thoughtful person, which I always found appealing. That gave me a crazy idea.

"Say, Haiku. Do you have a partner for the canoe trip yet?"

"No. I haven't really been looking or gotten any offers. I think most people here are afraid of me for some reason."

"Well, would you like me to be your partner?"

She paused for a moment, looking like she was thinking about it. Then she gave me her answer.

"Sure. Though I'm surprised you're not doing the trip with Lincoln."

"I wanted to, but he's going with Ronnie Anne instead. Not that I'm jealous! Why would I be jealous?" That probably came out a little more aggressively than I meant it to.

"Right," she said, clearly not buying it. "Well, I have to go, Clyde. I'll see you at the lake."

"See you there, Haiku." And with that, she got up and left. I watched her walk away, thinking about what it was actually gonna be like to share a boat with her, alone on the water.

Lori was always going to hold a special place in my heart, but I realized a long time ago that she was never going to feel the same way about me. She's madly in love with Bobby and I've grown to accept it. On the bright side, no longer obsessing over Lori has freed me up to pursue romance elsewhere.

Haiku and I got to know each other a little at the Sadie Hawkins dance all those years ago thanks to Lincoln, but I was still too into Lori at the time to think much about it. But now I was starting to realize what a catch she really was. Haiku was deep, mysterious, quirky, creative and if I'm being totally honest, she was really quite attractive in an edgy, dangerous sort of way. She had very shiny hair and even some nice curves, especially around the hips. My gosh, she was stunning.

I realized that I'd been staring at her butt as she walked away. It was so big that it jiggled a bit every time she stepped. I forced myself to stop, especially since it almost seemed like she would know if I was staring. I mean, I don't know for sure if she knew, but something about her just gave me that feeling.

Now I really was excited for the boat trip again. I couldn't wait to see Haiku again. Just the two of us alone on a boat. This was gonna be fun.

* * *

**Lincoln POV**

Everybody gathered on the beach, where Action and Erica already had canoes lined up for each of us. They also insisted that we wear life vests, though I'm pretty sure everybody here can swim just fine. Looking around at the other teams, I noticed Clyde climbing into a boat with Haiku. _'Not bad, buddy. Not bad at all.'_

I was still waiting on my own partner to show up when I saw Renee coming up to me wearing the sexiest two-piece Ace Savvy bikini I'd ever seen. Her glorious curves were all I could focus on, hips swaying and breasts bouncing to the rhythm of her walking. As she stood before me, the only words I could muster were "Whoa, nice bathing suit."

She put her hands on her hips, striking a pose. "Thanks," she said. "You don't look too bad yourself."

"I've been working on my pecks and abs." It's true. Ever since Renee and I started dating, I'd been working out more. I had to make sure she had something to admire, too. I started showing off a few poses of my own.

"Hahaha! Not bad, bodybuilder. Have fun out there."

We shared a kiss and went our separate ways. I saw her get in a canoe with Stella. I'm glad she found another partner. Now if only mine would get here already. I didn't know what could've been taking her so long.

And then I saw her. Ronnie Anne was running straight towards me. And then, something happened to me that I never counted on. My jaw fell open, my eyes became glued to her and worst of all, my shorts got tighter. Ronnie Anne came towards me wearing a sporty purple and white two-piece that accentuated her curves and showed off her cleavage.

"Sorry I'm late," she said. "I got held up in a video chat with my family. You ready to do this?"

I was so mesmerized that I barely heard a word she said. But I managed to snap myself out of it before too long. "Y-Yeah, totally! Let's go."

As we climbed into our canoe together, I was silently cursing myself. _'What's wrong with you, man? You have a girlfriend now. You can't be turned on by other girls, especially not Ronnie Anne!'_ I sat in the back while Ronnie Anne sat upfront. We strapped on our life vests, grabbed our oars and cast out onto the lake, following the lead of the others.


	4. Chapter 4

**Lincoln POV**

It was a little surreal. I hadn't seen Ronnie Anne in a swimsuit since we were kids. I guess I just hadn't noticed how much her body had changed since then. She was a lot more muscular now, with her well-toned arms, legs and abs. She still kept her hair in a ponytail, but now it was long, silky and wavy. And her breasts? I knew they were decent-sized (not that I ever gave them that much attention before), but thanks to that top of hers, now I could see how big they really were. As large and round as Renee's. She was also blessed with a large, firm butt that had clearly been tightened thanks to lots of exercise.

This was a problem. I'd just convinced Renee that I had no more feelings for Ronnie Anne. But maybe that was still true. I mean, just because I thought she was hot, doesn't mean I was in love with her. Which I definitely wasn't!

Ronnie Anne's voice broke me from my thoughts. "So how are things going with that new lady friend of yours?" she said.

"Huh? Oh yeah, no! It's going great! She's so awesome," I said. "She's funny and sweet and super smart. You know she won third place at the town science fair last month? Plus, she's an incredible artist."

"That's great. I'm really happy for you."

"Thanks. You know, I always used to gag when I saw Lori and Bobby acting all gooey with each other, but now… I'm not saying we do that, but I get it."

"Hm. Almost makes me wish I could find someone."

"Oh, I'm sure you will someday."

"I don't know. I think most guys find me a little too intimidating. Like I'd punch their teeth out if they even tried to ask me out."

"I could totally see that."

Ronnie Anne chuckled at that, but it was kind of a sad chuckle. Then she just sort of stopped talking. "Ronnie Anne? Are you okay?" I asked.

There was a short pause before she answered. "Lincoln, how did Renee feel when you told her you were coming on this trip with me?"

"Well, she was disappointed that we wouldn't be doing it together, but she understood why. Besides, I already explained that there was nothing between you and me, so you don't have to worry about her being jealous."

"Oh, good. That's great to hear. I'd hate to cause a problem between you two."

"What? No way! Trust me, you do NOT need to worry about that. Plus, I've already planned to make it up to her with a picnic when we get back."

"I'm sure she'll love that. Just don't go giving each other cheesy nicknames like Sugar Pie or Honey Bunch."

"Ech! Not a chance."

We both had a good laugh about that and I realized I was starting to feel better. I just had to be reminded of how great Renee was and how lucky I was to have her. Not that Ronnie Anne wasn't great. She was a great friend and our relationship was perfect the way it was. Now I could go back to daydreaming about my actual girlfriend without being distracted.

Suddenly, I noticed our boat was pulling to the right and drifting away from the group. "Uh, Ronnie Anne, what's going on? You know we're supposed to meet the others over there."

"I just thought we could make this trip a little more exciting."

She was leading off course where the lake split off into a river. "I don't know. I really feel like we should stick with the group."

"Aw come on, man. I thought you wanted to have adventures out here."

She made a good point. And I wasn't gonna be scared off by a little running water. So I went along with her.

The first part wasn't so bad. The water was calm and steady and the scenery was beautiful. There was even a nice cooling breeze. "I have to admit, this is pretty nice," I said.

"See? What'd I tell you? Nothing to worry about."

Of course, just when things seem perfect, that's always when they head straight down the pooper. It felt like the river had started speeding up, which was not a good sign.

"Why are we moving so fast?" I asked nervously.

"Oh boy," she replied.

"What? What's 'oh boy'?"

"That is." She pointed straight ahead to where the river started twisting and turning rapidly like a water slide.

"Oh crap! What do we do?"

"Lincoln, you've played _Raging River Racers_ for the Zii, right?"

"Yeah, but that was just a video game!"

"Just act like it's the same thing, okay?! It's the only way we're gonna get through this!"

Video game skills didn't usually translate well to real life in my experience, but it wasn't like I had a better idea. "Alright, let's do it!"

As we approached the first curve, we both paddled to the left with all our might to avoid hitting the bank. Then we had to go right, then left, then right again. It went on like that for what felt like hours. The river kept swerving and we had to keep paddling, curve after curve, using all of our energy just to keep our tiny canoe afloat.

Finally, things starting to ease up. The river straightened out and I felt like I could breathe again. The water was still moving pretty fast, but I was confident that we had made it.

"How you doing back there, Linc?"

"I'm okay. Barely alive, but I'm okay. How about you?"

"Yep, I'm good. Man, that was… that was _nuts_!"

"I know! I can't believe we-" I stopped talking mid-sentence when I saw what was ahead of us. "Rock," I said weakly.

When Ronnie Anne saw it, she tried to paddle around it and I tried to help, but it wasn't working. I just kept going "Rock rock rockrockrOCKROCK…"

"I see the stupid rock!" she shouted.

We managed to turn the boat on its side, but the space between the rock and the bank was too narrow to get through. So we ended up colliding right into it, which sent us flying through the air until we plopped like fish on the shore.

I opened my eyes and found myself lying face to face with Ronnie Anne. Her eyes widened like she had just seen a ghost. "Are you alright?" I asked her.

"Yeah," she said. "Are you?"

"Yeah," I replied. That was one heck of a crash. I was a little sore, but otherwise, I felt fine.

Then, without any warning, Ronnie Anne grabbed my head and pressed her lips against mine. I was so shocked, I didn't know how to react. My first instinct was to pull away from her, but before I could, she did it first.

She held my gaze for a second before she turned away. "Ronnie, what…"

"I'm sorry, okay? I-I don't know what got into me."

"Wh… Why did you do that?"

"I just said I don't know! It was a fluke, so just let it go!"

"Okay, fine."

"Good. Now help me lift this boat. We're gonna have to carry it back upstream. And not a word about this to anybody. Got it?"

"I got it. I won't tell anybody. Let's just get back to the others."

The canoe was heavy, but not quite as heavy as the guilt I was now carrying around. As we hauled our boat back up the hill, I went over a ton of questions in my head. Why did Ronnie Anne kiss me? Did she plan this all along? Is that why she wanted to split off from the rest of the group? Did she actually still have a crush on me after all this time? And most importantly, should I even try explaining this to Renee? She'd understand, wouldn't she? She'd know it wasn't my fault, right? Oh God, I was in some real deep doo-doo right now.

"By the way," Ronnie Anne spoke up, "you might wanna get that boner under control before we get there."

I looked down and, sure enough, there was a spear sticking up in my trunks. It was aimed right at Ronnie Anne's butt. '_Oh come on, little dude! It wasn't that great!'_


	5. Chapter 5

**Ronnie Anne POV**

Lincoln and I didn't talk much for a while after the, um… *ahem* incident that must not be spoken of. I think we both needed a little space. A few days have passed and I still honestly don't know what possessed me to do it. I mean, I was really happy when he agreed to be my partner for the canoe trip because, well, I was excited to be alone with him. I really did want a chance to hang out as friends and catch up, but I swear I NEVER planned to go that far. I felt like such an idiot and I knew that Lincoln couldn't have been having it much easier. I didn't mind making him keep it a secret from most everybody else, but I did feel bad about making him keep it from Renee. I didn't know if he had told her anyway or not, but I was pretty sure he didn't wanna get in trouble with her any more than I did.

I was used to sitting alone in the mess hall. I was in the middle of a toasted scrambled egg sandwich when I saw Lincoln, Clyde and Renee chatting it up at the next table across from me. From the way they were all smiling at each other, it was safe to assume that he hadn't told either of them what happened.

Just then, our two dork counselors burst through the doors, wobbling, grunting and waving their hands around like zombies. They also had these weird gloves on their hands to try and sell the effect. "Good morning, campers!" Jackson announced (I didn't feel like calling him Action). "Have we got a fun surprise for you! Today, we're gonna be playing….. PAINTBALL!"

Sweet! I love paintball!

"We're gonna divide you into two teams," said Erica. "Humans… and ZOMBIES! You're each gonna draw a label from this hat to decide which team you'll be on. Humans get these awesome paintball shooters and zombies get these cool paint-covered gloves."

"Your objective is to find the other team's flag and bring it back to the flag pole before they get yours. But if you get painted, you're done. And no shooting or grabbing each other in the face or the crotch! Everybody got it?"

"Yes," everybody said.

"Good. Now everybody come line up. Once you have your team name, go outside and get your gear."

Everybody lined up to draw a team from the hat. I ended up being a human, which was great because it meant I got to nail chumps with paintballs from a distance. Lincoln and Clyde were both humans, too, so I went over to join them. "Hey guys. You ready to kick some zombie butt?" I said.

"You know it," Clyde responded.

"How about you, White Top?"

"Oh, yeah, uh… t-totally, uh… Oh hey! Renee!"

That was weird. It was like he couldn't wait to get away from me.

"So what team are you on?" he asked Renee.

"Looks like I'm a zombie," she said. "Hope I don't get shot up too bad out there."

"Don't worry. If you get any paint on you, I'll help you rub it off."

'_Really dude? In public?_' He was getting as bad as my aunt and uncle.

"Okay, easy there, Fido," Renee said. "Save it for after the game. As of this moment, you and me are officially on opposite sides of the war."

"In that case, get ready to eat it, zombie scum."

"The only thing I'm gonna eat is your juicy little brain."

God, I could actually smell how corny those guys were. I went outside to grab my vest, goggles and rifle before I lost my breakfast.

Clyde, Lincoln and I trudged through the woods, keeping an eye out for any targets nearby. They'd given the zombies a head start, which meant they could be anywhere. I wasn't worried, though. I was a beast at these kinds of games. I even started whistling Pumped Up Kicks out loud to try and psyche out any poor chumps who might be in the area.

Suddenly, I could hear rustling coming from behind the bushes on all sides.

"Looks like they're trying to ambush us," I said. "Here's what we're gonna do, guys. When they pop out, go for the one closest to you and give 'em everything you got. Understand?"

"Yeah," Clyde said.

"Lincoln?" I turned around, but instead of being right next to us, Lincoln was like eight steps behind. "Lincoln, what are you doing?! Get over here!"

"No thanks. I'm perfectly fine right here."

"What? Come on, man!" Clyde shouted. "We need you over here!"

And that's when all hell broke loose. Chandler, Trent and Lance charged out of the bushes and came at us all at once. I landed a few good hits on Trent so he was out. I saw Clyde firing randomly at Lance, failing to hit him several times. He was about to get tagged before he jumped out of the way at the last minute and shot Lance in the shoulder.

Chandler was headed straight for Lincoln. "You're dead, Loud." I went ahead and shot him out instead of waiting for Lincoln to get on the ball.

"What the hell, Lincoln?! Why didn't you cover us back there?" I said.

"I… well I… just…" apparently all he could do was stutter.

Then out of nowhere, someone jumped out and grabbed me and Clyde's arms. It was Jordan. "Gotcha!" she declared. We looked down and, sure enough, our arms were covered in green paint.

"What the? Where the heck did you come from?" I asked.

"I was hiding behind that tree waiting for those guys to blow it."

That does it. This whole thing has gone on long enough. I grabbed Lincoln's arm and pulled him away.

"Hey, where are you going?" Clyde asked.

"I need to have a little chat with Flaker here," I said. I dragged Lincoln into a hollowed out tree and made him look me straight in the eye.

"Alright, Lincoln! What the hell is going on? Why have you been avoiding me all day? I get that things have been kind of weird since the boat trip and I was trying to give you some space, but we're supposed to be working together out here, so could you please just grow a pair and talk to me?"

Lincoln sighed in defeat. "Okay, you want the truth?" he said. "I just don't feel comfortable around you anymore."

"What do you mean?"

"Right before we set out on that canoe trip, I told Renee that I didn't have anymore feelings for you and I meant it. But then you kissed me and, even though I was surprised and confused, it also made me start seeing you in a way that I hadn't in years. And frankly, seeing you in that swimsuit didn't help either."

"Oh please." I had to roll my eyes at that.

"I'm just saying, you looked really good in that."

"Okay. Thanks, I guess." It was a little weird hearing him say that he liked how I looked in my swimsuit. Did he really mean that he thought I looked hot overall or did he just like how big my tits were? I decided to let myself believe it was the former so he could continue.

"But I have a girlfriend now and I have to stay faithful to her. I don't wanna lose you as a friend, but it's hard for me to even be near you right now. I thought if I spent as much time as possible with Renee and Clyde, it would help take my mind off of how I've been feeling about you, but it didn't work. I hate to admit it, but I just don't trust myself around you anymore."

Neither of us said anything for a little while. Personally, I didn't really know what to say. But then Lincoln broke the silence.

"I'm sorry for being so dumb about all this. I guess I should've just told you how I was feeling from the start, huh?"

"No, I'm sorry," I said. "I mean, yeah, you should've told me all of this sooner, but I'm sorry I made things so complicated for you. Have you told Renee yet?"

"No. You made it very clear that I should keep it to myself."

Speak of the devil. We both saw Renee prowling around alone outside, looking for victims to get her undead, slime-covered hands on. I knew what had to be done. "Then I'll tell her," I said.

"Really? But I'm her boyfriend. Shouldn't she hear it from me?"

"You didn't do anything wrong. I kissed you. If she's gonna be mad at anyone, I'm gonna make sure it's me."

"Are you sure that's the right thing to do?"

"Do you want to lose your girlfriend?"

"… Well what are you waiting for? Go tell her already!"

That's what I thought. I was about to go catch up to her when he stopped me.

"Hold on. Ronnie Anne, before you go, I just need to know one thing. Do you really still have feelings for me after all these years?"

I thought hard about what to say next. I didn't like the answer to that question, even though I figured it was kind of obvious by now, but I figured he deserved to hear it.

"Yes," I answered, almost too embarrassed to look him in the face, but I did anyway. "I try not to think about it since I know you've already moved on, but the thing is, nobody really gets me like you do. I swear I never planned for that kiss to happen. I just wanted to spend some time alone with you, but not so I could steal you away from Renee. I really care about you, Lincoln, and the last I want is to ruin your chance at happiness."

I stood there waiting for him to respond. Then he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me in for a hug. It was warm… and comforting.

"Ronnie Anne, you'll always be my first kiss and you'll always be special to me. Promise me you'll never stop being my friend."

I hugged him back and smiled. "I promise." Once we let go, I left to catch up to Renee so I could tell her what happened. I was fine with her not trusting me anymore, so long as she didn't break it off with Lincoln.

**Lincoln POV**

I sat there in the tree, waiting for Ronnie Anne to come back. I knew I was gonna be in big trouble as soon as Renee found out. Looking down at the paintball rifle in my hand, I wondered if aiming it at my head would be enough to get me out of this whole mess. Not that I would've actually done it. I wasn't that big of a coward.

Soon, I heard footsteps approaching. I peaked out of the tree and Ronnie Anne was coming back… with Renee by her side. I figured it was time to face the music, so I went outside to meet them.

Looking at Renee's eyes, she didn't seem angry per se, but she didn't look very happy either. "Hi," I uttered weakly.

"Hi," she replied dryly. "Ronnie Anne just told me what happened."

"Yeah. So… do you hate me for not telling you? Because I'm really sorry for that."

"Before I decide that, I need you to tell me something."

"Anything!"

"Did you enjoy it?"

Did I enjoy it? Well, I mean, I didn't really see it coming at the time and I had just been knocked out of… Why was I thinking so hard about this? I knew what I had to say!

"No."

Renee gave me a cheeky grin. "Good answer," she said as she gave me a forgiving hug. I let out a long breath I'd been holding in.

I was extremely fortunate to have such an understanding girlfriend. I just hoped she wouldn't be too hard on Ronnie Anne for this. After all, the great outdoors tend to make people do crazy things.

"I think this means I'm out of the game," I said, realizing I now had paint on my back.

"Don't worry. I'll go win it for both of us."

After we exchanged a quick smooch, I watched my amazing woman hobble out to convert more rifle-wielding humans to her legion of the undead. I was also glad to be able to hang out with Ronnie Anne again.

"You wanna go get some donuts from the mess hall?"

"Totally."

And just like that, we were on our way back to camp.


	6. Chapter 6

**Clyde POV**

Friday night at camp was movie night. They rearranged the tables and set up a big screen at the end of the mess hall, where the projector would show the movie. They also had popcorn, drinks and snacks at the counter. I grabbed a couple bags of popcorn and took a seat next to Lincoln, who was sitting next to Renee.

"Hey, buddy. I got you some popcorn," I greeted him.

"Oh thanks, Clyde," he said. "Looks like I've got two bags now for the price of one."

I looked past him and realized he was already sharing a bag with Renee. He put the bag that I'd given him between his legs for later.

Ever since Lincoln started dating Renee, we'd kind of being hanging out with each other less and less. I guess that's just what happens when your best friend gets a girlfriend. I was happy for him. I really was. It was just hard not to feel a little left out knowing that I now had to compete with such an awesome and beautiful girl.

Then the movie started. It was one of mine and Lincoln's favorite horror movies from a few years ago. '_Ghost Orchestra 2: Bach from the Dead_.'

"Hey guys." I turned my head just as Ronnie Anne took a seat on my other side.

"Hey Ronnie Anne," I said back. I waited for Lincoln and Renee to respond, but it seemed he was a little too busy doing the old stretch-yawn-and-reach thing, putting his arm around Renee's shoulder.

"Let me know if it gets too scary for you, babe," he teased her.

"Haha! Please. I've seen scarier faces at the bus station," she laughed back. Watching the two of them snuggle together, barely paying Ronnie Anne and I any mind, that stung a little.

"Get used to it, Clyde," Ronnie Anne said. "Welcome to Third Wheel Town. Population: us."

The next morning, I thought about what had happened last night. Dr. Lopez would probably tell me that I was being too possessive, projecting my insecurities onto my friend and that I should try to live my own life. So I decided that if Lincoln could find a girlfriend, then so could I. Maybe I could ask out Haiku. I did have fun with her on the canoe trip last week and from what she told me, it seemed like she had gotten over her crush on that vampire guy, Baron Thaddeus.

I spotted Haiku sitting under a tree reading a book and decided that now was as good a time as any to make my move. I just needed a moment to mentally prepare myself. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath in, then let it out slowly. Now I was ready, so I started making my way over to the cool, hot goth girl under the tree. "Haiku!" I shouted.

She looked up from her book as I strutted up to her. I tried to play it as cool as possible, showing her my most confident smile. "Hey girl. How's it going?"

"Clyde? What's up with your face?" she asked. "Do you have to use the bathroom?"

Okay, strike the phony confidence thing. "Uh, no actually, I just came over to… I mean, I was wondering if you wanted to, maybe… sit with me at lunch today?"

Her face was so stiff and blank, it was hard to tell exactly what she was thinking. "Are you trying to ask me for a date?"

"Well I… yeah, I am."

"Alright, then. You're on."

"Really?"

"Yeah. But for future reference, you don't need to be so nervous. A girl's not gonna bite you if you try to ask her out. Unless of course she's a vampire."

I had a nice laugh at that. Haiku had a nice sense of humor for somebody who rarely laughed. "Good to know. So I'll see you around one-o'-clock in the mess hall?"

"Sure. I'll be there."

"Great! See you then. Bye!"

_BAM!_

All of a sudden, as I was heading off, something came out of nowhere and knocked me over. It was Penelope.

"Clyde!" she gasped. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! I should've been looking where I was going." She gave me her hand and helped me up to my feet.

"It's okay, Penelope. I wasn't really paying attention either."

"I'm just excited. I did some research on this forest and according to what I've found, there are a lot of cool things to find around here. So I made up a scavenger hunt for myself. I'm gonna go exploring and see if I can find all this stuff."

"Really? That sounds like fun."

"Say, do you wanna join me? I'd love to have someone to keep me company and help me search. Plus, it'll be easier to find everything with two people looking."

"Oh! Well, uh…" I wasn't sure what to do. Penelope's scavenger hunt sounded like a lot of fun, but what if it made me miss my date with Haiku? After giving it some thought, I decided that I could always just head back before one-o'-clock. I'm sure Penelope would understand. "You know what? I'd love to go scavenger hunting with you."

"Great. Then follow me! We've got a lot of woods to cover."

Penelope and I set off into the woods. I didn't know what we were going to find out there, but I was excited to find out.


	7. Chapter 7

**Clyde POV**

Me and Penelope trekked through the forest for what felt like hours. So far, the most interesting thing I'd seen was a four-leaf clover. Penelope, on the other hand, was reeling in the bounty. She'd found all sorts of cool things like a chunk of phosphorous and a bald eagle feather. "Clyde, come here! You won't believe what I just found!" she called out. I ran over to her and found her standing next to the stream.

"What is it?" I asked. When I took a closer look at it, what I saw was astonishing. Penelope was holding a genuine arrowhead. "Holy cow! Is this for real?"

"It sure looks real to me. This area might've been some sort of ancient Native American hunting ground."

"That's amazing."

"Let's keep looking. Maybe we can find some more." As she walked away, I started thinking about how smart Penelope was. She knew a lot about history and science and stuff. Though I'm pretty sure her favorite subject was zoology. She could talk for hours listing off facts about animals. I first learned that back in fifth grade when we had to take care of an egg baby together for class. I loved seeing her face light up whenever she found something she thought was interesting. I never really thought about it before, but Penelope was a really special girl.

All of a sudden, Penelope tripped over a rock. Out of instinct, I reached out and caught her before she could fall and hurt herself. What happened next was like something out of one of those romantic comedies. We locked eyes and both of our faces turned red. We just stood there, not moving and not saying a word for a good six seconds. Finally, Penelope let go of me and stood on her own.

"Uh, t-thanks for c-catching me Clyde. Guess I should watch where I'm going," she said, giving an awkward chuckle.

"Don't mention it."

Alright, whatever vibe was just going on there, I had to shake it off. I had a date with Haiku coming up any minute and I didn't wanna be distracted thinking about another girl in the middle of it. Speaking of which, I looked at my watch and saw that it was ten minutes to one. "Hey Penelope? I hate to do this, but I kinda promised Haiku that I'd meet her for lunch really soon, so I should probably head back. Not that this hasn't been super fun. It's just-"

"I know. It's okay, Clyde. Don't worry about it. You can go."

"Are you sure? I don't wanna leave you here all alone."

"It's fine. Go on."

"Well, okay then. See you later, Penelope."

"See you later, Clyde."

And then I was gone. I think, subconsciously, I was looking for an excuse to get away after that awkwardness.

* * *

After my lunch with Haiku, I wandered back to the boys' cabin where Lincoln was hanging out alone and reading a new comic. I was so frustrated that I couldn't even be bothered to sit down properly on my bed, so instead I just let myself plop down face first.

"Clyde? What's wrong?" Lincoln asked.

"Lincoln, you're the biggest ladies' man I know," I said. "Can you help me with something?"

"Well, I wouldn't exactly call myself a ladies man, but I'll do my best. What do you need?"

"So I asked Haiku out on a date earlier and she said yes, but then Penelope invited me to join her on a scavenger hunt and now I think I'm starting to have a thing for her, but I also really like Haiku and I just can't decide which girl I like more and I don't wanna hurt either of their feelings or…"

"Clyde! Breathe!" I started breathing into my paper bag and that helped me calm down. "Now look. I think the best thing you can do in this situation is listen to your heart. Whichever girl you choose, I'm sure the other will understand."

"You really think so?"

"Trust me, Clyde. You'd be amazed at how understanding someone can be if they really care about you."

"Okay. Thanks Lincoln."

"Anytime, pal."

Lincoln was right. I needed to listen to my heart on this one. Though I still wasn't sure exactly what my heart was telling me. On one hand, Penelope was spunky, sweet, caring, smart and very passionate. She and I seemed like we'd be a perfect fit for each other. But on the other hand, Haiku was creative, soulful, kinda creepy, but in a very intriguing way, like a black cat on Halloween night. A relationship with her would certainly never be boring. Both girls were also very attractive in their own ways. Choosing just one of them was no easy task. Right now, my heart was telling me that this decision was gonna take some soul searching, so I decided to take a walk down by the lake because that's what people always do in the movies when they need to think about stuff. Maybe if I just stood out there long enough, the answer would just come to me.


	8. Chapter 8

**Penelope POV**

When I got back to camp after my very successful hunt, I decided to clean off with a quick shower. Then I headed back to the girls' cabin to relax and unwind. Truth be told, I've always sort of had a crush on Clyde ever since we were kids. That's why I was so happy when we were paired together for the egg baby assignment back in fifth grade. I loved getting to see his parental side. He's so kind, responsible, devoted and he's got such a wide variety of talents. But even after all these years, I've still never had the courage to tell him how I feel. I knew he had a crush on some other girl for the longest time. One of Lincoln's sisters, I think. I wasn't sure if he was still in love with her, but even if he wasn't, I was sure there was no way I could ever compete with her.

"Don't sell yourself so short, Penelope."

I screamed and fell at the voice that seemed to come out of nowhere. When I got up, I saw Haiku on her bed way in the corner of the room. "Haiku? Have you been there this whole time?"

"Yes. I heard you talking to yourself out loud."

"Wow. You sure have a way of blending into the background, don't you?"

"People tend not to notice me unless I make myself known."

I noticed that she was holding something. Something moving. "What do you got there?" I asked.

"It's a baby bat. I call her Bella," she said. "I found her the other night. Her wing was broken and she was all alone, so I brought her back here so I could take care of her until she's all better."

"Awww! That's so sweet of you." I went over to take a closer look and sure enough, in her hands was a tiny little bat with a popsicle stick tied to its wing. She was feeding it tiny droplets of milk from a little pump. Haiku usually gave me the creeps, but I was enjoying this new motherly side of her. When she set the pump down and the bat grabbed onto her finger, she gave the sweetest, prettiest smile.

She reached under her pillow and pulled out a little round tin, but when she pulled off the lid, there was nothing in it. "Dang it. I'm all out of mealworms," she said.

"Don't worry, Haiku. I know where to get some more," I assured her.

Thanks to my many explorations of the camp ground, I knew just where all the major bug colonies were in the area. I took her a few feet into the woods behind the cabin and picked up a rock. Underneath it were dozens of little mealworms. "Check it out. A whole colony of tasty, squirmy, juicy little worms full of all the essential vitamins and proteins for a growing young Chiroptera."

"Excellent. Thanks, Penelope," Haiku said. She picked up a worm and fed it to Bella, who gobbled it up super fast. Then she started picking up more and saving them in her tin for later.

That's when my curiosity finally got the best of me and I just had to bring it up. "So Haiku," I said somewhat nervously. "Clyde told me you guys had lunch together today. I mean, I know it's none of my business, but… how did that go?"

"It was good. Clyde's a really nice boy. He's very deep and sensitive and that makes him so interesting to talk to. He's also kind of easy on the eyes for a mortal."

"Oh, so you… do you like… LIKE him or what?"

She took a moment to answer. "Yeah. I guess I do."

"Oh. Great. I'm… sure you two will be happy together."

Sure, I was disappointed, but I did my best to be sincerely happy for them. Besides, it was my own fault for not saying anything to Clyde sooner. But then, just as I was about to plan my own pity party, Haiku wrapped her hand around mine. When I looked up, she was smiling at me with her usual half-lidded, heavily-shadowed eyes. "And I like you, too," she said.

"You… really?" I asked out of shock. I figured if she was gonna be this honest with me, then I had to do the same with her. "Well, that's interesting because, you know, I was just thinking the same thing… about you, I mean." Suddenly, I felt myself getting lost in her big, beautiful, sparkling eyes and I felt safer than I'd ever felt before. And then a thought occurred to me. "Wait. So who do you like more? Me or Clyde?"

"I think I like both of you equally," she answered. Pretty quickly, I might add.

"But you can't date both of us. Can you?"

"Well, actually, there is a way we could all be together. If you'd be up for it, that is."

I was really curious as to what she was getting at. If it was actually possible for me, her and Clyde to all be an item, then it might be worth considering.

* * *

**Clyde PV**

I must've stood out there on that beach, staring out at that lake for at least an hour and I was sure I had finally figured out which girl I wanted to give my heart to. I'd taken everything into account, weighed the pros and cons of both of my choices extremely carefully and now I felt ready to go break the news. So I started making my way back to camp.

When I got there, I started checking around for any sign of the girl. I didn't see her out in the open so I headed toward the mess hall. And that's when I heard someone call my name. "Hey Clyde." I recognized the voice as Penelope's. I turned around and there she was… WITH HAIKU?! Oh man. I hadn't counted on both of them being together. Suddenly, I was beginning to second guess my decision. Having both girls in front of me for this was almost more than I could handle. My whole body started shaking and sweating like crazy.

"Clyde? Are you alright?" asked Penelope.

I wanted to make a run for it so badly. No! This was too important. I just had to man up tell them both what I had to say. I took a big deep breath and let it all out.

"I'm sorry. I really like both of you and that makes it so hard for me to choose just one of you to go out with and the last thing I wanna do is hurt your feelings, but if you both wanna hate me for it then go ahead!"

"Clyde! Calm down!" Penelope was the one to snap me out of my babbling. "I'm not mad at you."

"Me neither," Haiku said.

"You're not? Phew! Well that is a HUGE relief."

"So you really like both of us?" said Penelope.

"Yes, I do."

"Perfect, because we have a proposal for you," Haiku said.

"A proposal?" I asked. "What kind of proposal?"

"What would you say to a polyamorous relationship?"

"A what?" I had no idea what that meant.

"It's a romantic relationship between more than just two people," Penelope explained. "It was Haiku's idea. We could all be together and none of us would have to choose."

"Oh. I don't know. It kinda goes against everything I was ever taught about love. Plus, what if one of you gets jealous of the other for spending more time with me?"

"It wouldn't just be about you," Haiku corrected me.

"What do you mean?"

"Haiku and I both really like you, Clyde, but we also really like each other."

"Really? When did that happen?"

"About twenty minutes ago actually," said Penelope.

"So what do you say?" asked Haiku.

This was the last position I ever expected to find myself in. Two girls who've already just started a romantic relationship with each other, now asking me to join them? "Well, if you guys both really want this, then I guess I'm on board."

"Really? Thanks, Clyde. You're awesome!" Penelope exclaimed.

Each girl came up and kissed me on one of my cheeks. I couldn't believe it. After a whole day of trying to choose just one girl to love, now I suddenly had two at the same time. I guess this means I'm the master ladies' man now. This whole thing was sure gonna be different than anything I'd ever seen before, but I was gonna do my best to make it work. Imagine the look on Lincoln's face when all three of us joined him and Renee together on movie night.


End file.
